From the Editor

Home and hearth...family, friends, festivities... the hustle and bustle all join together to describe the season that is quickly approaching. We know from your speedy response that many of you are already stitching on Marnie Ritter’s beautiful All Wrapped Up project from our last issue. Just in case you should finish and need something to stitch, we are offering more wonderful ideas and designs for winter as well as the holiday season.
Who said there is nothing new under the sun? Joan Thomasson, our perennial cover girl for the November/December issue, treats us to a brand new idea! She has artfully combined all-the-rage scrapbooking with needlepoint in her wistful Frostfire. Follow her advice to incorporate something important to you in your own innovative stitchery.
Carole Lake is another of our popular designers who shares her talent and expertise with a contemporary approach to the Nativity. When Carole visited Scotland she was inspired by a series of small stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ.
To continue with the holiday theme we present several quick and easy projects. Peg Dunayer offers a fun Triangle Santa ornament that can be worked in threads purchased or threads from your stash. Tricia Wilson Nguyen shares four colorful ornaments that can be worked on Trinkets™ Sewing Cards or canvas of any mesh size.
What would our magazine be without our talented designers and creators of the stitching projects we present? These wonderful and sharing people keep us happy and busy stitching. I send holiday wishes and warm thanks to each one of them.
Our continuing features continue to be wonderful! Judy Harper hones our artistic approach and Ann Blalock tickles our funny bone. Tony Minieri serves up stitches and stitch variations to amaze us and Amy Bunger deepens our understanding of technique. Jody Valentine answers our questions and fills us with all sorts of information and Suzanne Howren keeps our needlework library up to date. Our new feature writer, Elizabeth Bozievich, is eager to bring us up to date on new products and Beth Robertson draws wonderful charts for us. Our eagle-eyed and fantastic proofreaders Marianne Frost, Fay Haverly and Donna Gotts always work in a rush and burn the midnight oil to keep us proper. We traditionally give thanks during this harvest season and I want to give special thanks to each one of them for hanging in there and giving us the best job possible for these many years. Kudos, gang. You help so much to make us who we are.
And, while I am on a roll, I want to thank the in-house staff. I am indebted to my right hand, Sarah Bennett, Circulation Manager, who keeps (tries to) me straight and my left hand, John Lukomski, who keeps our finances and records in order. Art Director John Linthicum is our computer guru who designs beautiful ads and keeps everything up and running. I can’t imagine the advertising office without Sara Ann Cohen with her own special warmth and data entry without Janice Archer’s expertise.
Just before we went to press, I learned that a stitching friend, Nina M. Goerres, passed away. A memorial fund has been set up at ANG for an award in her honor.
Robert Brault said, “Let us learn to enjoy the little things, for one day you might look back and realize that they were the big things.” Do take time to sit back and reflect on the happy times in your life. Take time out to play with a child, write a note or call an old friend. It is also said “many people will walk in and out or your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” I hope you find the footprints in your heart are deep and everlasting. I wish for a year filled with understanding and kindness, one to another.
As this year draws to a close, we ponder what we have learned. What is it that makes life worth living? For me it is the strength and love of family, the warmth of friendship, the beauty of God’s world and the ability and opportunity to do the work I love. Thank you for providing that opportunity. – Joyce Lukomski

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Last Updated February 20, 2008